Photo Credit: UnSplash – Caleb George
In a world where everything that is going to change has already changed… Have you figured out how to change your business with the next wave of change instead of the paying attention to the one that’s already gone by? Sounds confusing right? — It is. Change is difficult to manage and it’s even more difficult to navigate a business that is struggling to embrace today’s fast moving technology-consumed business culture. You may think your business is cutting edge because of some newly purchased tools and software, but don’t let that fool you. Is your company still the same old brand it was a year ago? Are your employees still wondering what’s around the corner? Is there a lack of confidence and leadership at the top?

If business leaders are not passionately communicating a vision for innovative growth strategies, and confidently equipping them selves and the entire business in how to navigate through today’s new business environment, sustained growth is most likely not on the horizon. The business engine that once was healthy and strong is now out of gas, running on fumes and in need of an overhaul quickly.

Not too long ago when I asked my clients and even friends in other industries how business was, I would frequently hear, ” business is great, we keep plugging along, it’s business as usual.”  I honestly never thought those words would actually be a huge  warning sign for most businesses. If I hear those words today, I cringe, and wonder if they will survive the next year. There is no more business as usual. That mentality is not only dangerous for the health and wealth of your business, but it tells your employees that they don’t need to embrace change and new ideas aren’t important. There is nothing further from the truth.

 

IT’S CRITICAL FOR BUSINESSES TO STAY CURRENT WITH TECHNOLOGY, CUSTOMERS, MOBILE AND THE PACE OF TODAY’S BUSINESS CLIMATE.

We’re all in an arms race for the same customers.  The leaders of your business must be the visionaries, not the laggards. The middle managers must be the technological wizards, not manual labor-intensive bosses. The youngest employees must capture the vision early in their tenure or they will catapult themselves out of your business and right into the ranks of your competition. Is it possible that your company has the wrong employees, management and vision making up the ingredients of what is supposed to be a wonderful business recipe, but in fact is going to taste awful and lead to destruction?

The real answer could be, “yes” it is happening to your business and you didn’t know it. For some companies, all of this is happening right under your nose. The management team may see there is a problem, but is afraid to say something. Management teams also may not know exactly what to do.  As leaders of the business, whether it’s a startup or a global behemoth, you better embrace everything that comes with today’s technology, mobile engagement, analytics, big data, customer experience monitoring and even implementing predictive modeling so that you can see with a clearer perspective who your customers are and how they are interacting with your brand. I can’t stress enough that the customer experience could be the biggest part of your business that’s not even looked at. Additionally, key business leaders with the right passion, skill and desire who are constantly educating themselves on today’s customer and current business operations is a critical component for business was success.

The new Modus operandi for business leaders must be vastly different than what it was previously. It’s tough to think about the “what if”, when you haven’t ever been trained or asked to do that before.  Leaders, create listening channels so your employees can provide ideas. Streamline the action steps for go-to-market initiatives. Equip and Empower middle managers with a budget and tools to get their jobs done quickly and efficiently. All of this is not just in theory what businesses want to do, it’s what they have to do to survive. Some industries do this well and some do not. If you are in a business and industry stuck on tradition, maybe it’s time to reconsider your goals for future employment. Our economy is telling us that change is upon us, and that pace of change is rapidly increasing every day. If The real answer is, “yes,” the wrong management team is in place and you have a systemic problem right under your nose and its damaging your business health, you don’t make much time. If you don’t have a crystal clear vision of where your future is headed, here are a few points to think about.

“it’s about imagining, organizing, mobilizing, and competing in new ways.”  – Idris Mootee

 

Idris Mootee also talks about decision making in his book, Design Thinking for Strategic Innovation. If decision-making is a primary concern for your company, maybe you shouldn’t isolate the problem which is what most people would do. Would it be better to act like a boxer in the ring and come out swinging for your life? Some companies decide to be highly conservative because they are afraid of failure and change and what that could bring. Well, guess what, that’s business, so get over it and be as proactive as possible not reactive. You just may discover that the crisis is not completely external but systemic and may be the cause of many of your challenges. Change course immediately and start embracing business change — after all, you have nowhere to go but up.
YourBrandExposed is designed to look at digital with an eye into the future using a creative, innovative marketing perspective. We’re a consultative and tactical resource for companies looking to leverage the power of digital, web, social and content marketing strategies. Contact us if you’re feeling the digital squeeze on how to best market your company.

Scott MacFarland

Web: www.Yourbrandexposed.com

Linkedin | Huffington Post | Twitter: @scmacfarland

Email: Yourbrandexposed@yahoo.com

Photo Credit: UnSplash – Caleb George

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